Russell J. Waters


Russell Judson Waters was an American teacher, lawyer, businessman, author and one-term U.S. Representative from California at the turn of the 20th century.

Early life and education

Born in Halifax, Vermont, Waters moved with his parents to Franklin County, Massachusetts, in 1846.
He attended the district schools.
Learned the machinist's trade in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.
He taught school at Charlemont Center, Massachusetts.
He was graduated from Franklin Institute, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, where he later was professor of Latin and mathematics.
He moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1867.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar in 1868 and practiced in Chicago until 1886.

Career

He moved to California and settled in Redlands in 1886, serving as city attorney of Redlands in 1888. He moved to Los Angeles in 1894. He served as president of the Pasadena Consolidated Gas Co., treasurer of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and vice president of the Citizens' Bank, and was connected with many public institutions.

Congress

Waters was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-sixth Congress.
He was not a candidate for renomination in 1900.

Later career

He resumed banking as president of the Citizens' National Bank, Los Angeles.
He served as president of the California Cattle Co., San Jacinto, California, from 1903 to 1911.
He served as president of the San Jacinto Water Co. in 1910 and 1911.

Death and burial

He died in Los Angeles, California, September 25, 1911, and was interred in Hollywood Cemetery.